LF Press

Urbandale, Iowa, Feb. 26, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Catalyst, a premier manufacturer of microbial blends, vitamin and mineral premixes and specialty products for the feed industry, will invest nearly $1 million over two years to modernize its facility here. “Demand for product from our plant is growing rapidly, and we need newer, faster equipment moving forward,” said Jim Zamzow, company owner.

The investment is part of an ongoing partnership with Clear View Enterprises, a major poultry products distributor based in Tontitown, Ark.

“We can sell everything Catalyst can produce at this juncture, so we started working together on a plan to expand production capacity last fall,” said James Thompson, managing partner of Clear View. “In more than 40 years of involvement in this industry, we have watched our competitors move from distribution into manufacturing, and history has proven there is a definite loss of focus on customer service on the distribution side of the business. [ … ]

Production of milk fat and protein improved significantly in a test of a new Catalyst product, Bio 5™, on 1,500 cattle at Bear Creek Dairy in Brooklyn, Iowa.

Milk fat increased 5.8 percent and protein, 3.2 percent, according to Jos Zamzow, Catalyst chief operating officer. The product, which also reduced herd deaths and manure ammonia levels, will be on exhibit at the World Dairy Expo here starting tomorrow. (Oct. 3, 2017)

“The results surprised all of us all, as the trial was designed to improve milk fat and protein content,” Zamzow said. “We hoped that the product also would help with concerns from neighbors about the odor of dairy operations. The product turned out to be much more effective that we had even hoped. Not only does Bio 5™ improve milk quality by increasing milk fat and protein – it also reduces odors.”

Catalyst, receiving one of the highest rankings possible for feed safety, has been certified by the Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification Program, administered by the American Feed Industry Association.
Only about 450, or 7.5 percent, of the nation’s almost 6,000 feed mills, have earned the certification. Catalyst received a score of 99 out of a possible 100.

Catalyst provides custom formulation and manufacturing services for worldwide customers in the livestock, poultry, pet, wildlife and aquaculture industries. Its full line of more than 100 items includes feed and related products for animals of all sizes, including OCM™ Global, Swine Finisher Pak and Poultry PAK.

The voluntary certification shows that Catalyst goes “above and beyond” federal requirements to ensure that the highest standards in manufacturing and processing are followed each day, according to the association. It demonstrates and ensures continuous improvement in delivering safe, wholesome livestock feed.

“Even though it took more than six months and about 400 man-hours of [ … ]

URBANDALE, Iowa – An Iowa company is anticipating increased sales in China, thanks to the Idaho governor’s recent trade mission to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
Urbandale’s Catalyst, which manufactures custom animal feed, was represented on the trade mission by its parent company, Idaho-based Dynamite Marketing.

As a result of a previous trade mission in 2013, Catalyst’s OCM™ Global became the first feed additive approved for sale in China in 40 years.

OCM ™ Global is a non-medicated proprietary blend of minerals that has been credited with digestive support in swine, dairy cattle and poultry for many years.

China is the world’s largest producer of pork with more than 460 million pigs. This is about seven times the number in the United States, the second-largest producer in the world, according to factsandfigures.com. The average hog farm in China has more than 8,000 head, according to Modern Farmer magazine.